Satan
Satan is yet another mythical "supernatural" being in religion. In common with all such beings somebody somewhere worships him (or perhaps it). Lucifer is another way of referring to Satan. Strictly Satan was called Lucifer before he rebelled against God. The Devil The Devil is another name for Satan. A devil or a demon can mean a minor devil who rebelled with Lucifer and is condemned with Lucifer according to Christianity. Belief in the devil is in no way harmless. Countless innocent Women have been burnt as Witches because Superstitious people believed they had sold their souls to the devil. This is just one example of the harm belief in the devil causes. Even in the 21st Century some of the sillier Christian Fundamentalists subject helpless Children or adults to traumatic Exorcism because they imagine someone is possessed by the devil. Scientific Atheists feel that the existence of all supernatural beings are equally unlikely. Satan in mythology In Christian and Jewish Mythology Satan is shown in opposition to God - or - more perhaps more properly - YHWH. Satan is shown as a giant red fawn carrying a trident in today's media. This is because fauns were Greek spirits, and Christians denounced a great deal that was in other religions. The redness comes from Odin's red beard and the trident from Neptune. In older versions, he was blue to represent coldness. Neither of these are true, because he was described as being the most beautiful Angel (although God might've uglified him when he rebelled) In Islam, Satan is a djinn or Iblis. Demons Demons in Judaeo-Christian mythology are minor devils or fallen angels. The Bible teaches that a third of the angels rebelled with Lucifer and are damned in Hell with him. This is not a harmless fairytale. It is also believed that demons can possess Human beings. In the past a range of psychiatric illnesses were ascribed to demonic possession. Epilepsy and other types of brain damage could also be attributed to demonic possession as could anti social behaviour or atheism. Patients who were already vulnerable would be told that the devil possessed them. This could easily aggravate any psychiatric illness. Bizarre and potentially traumatic rituals would be done to exorcise imagined demons. Sometimes psychiatric patients would be beaten to beat the devil out of them. Unscientific and superstitious communities still carry out traumatic Exorcisms in the 21st Century. How is he worse than God? Like any good propoganda machine, Christian authorities have made sure to limit the disenimation of information on the enemy (Satan) to what they want the public to know. For example, we are never told why Satan rebelled against God. We're never given his side of the story. Were Satan's reasons for rejecting God and attempting to overthrow him legitimate? From where I'm standing, they could certainly be considered valid if the authorities see fit to hide them from the general public. Is Satan Really Such a Bad Guy? In the Bible, God is shown to kill entire species, villages, and have people die and suffer. If Satan were to do the same, what difference does it make? Obviously, Satan, like God, wants people to worship him. However, this shouldn't happen since he isn't a god, at least not according to Christians. So naturally, he decided to become one. Satan has done terrible things, like torture Job, but as this was done for a bet with god it's not clear which of them was the most evil in this case. Modern Christian fundamentalism Innocent actions like yoga can invite demons into your head according to some fundamentalists. http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?t=247826 Once Christians start believing Logic can go out of the window. http://iidb.infidels.org/vbb/showthread.php?p=5442161#post5442161 Satan in Popular Culture Satan has appeared in many different form of media, like movies, comics and TV shows. Usually he is shown as the red fawn. In many of these, he is a comical character. In addition, many people believe Satan to be good. See also *Baphomet *Dick Cheney *Karl Rove *Dualism References External links *Exorcism and the harm it causes Adapted from Atheism Wiki Category:Religion Category:Christianity Category:Deities Category:Fiction